Portland Trail Blazers
Breakout candidate: Shaedon Sharpe
As the Portland Trail Blazers lean into a full-blown rebuild, after finally trading Damian Lillard, this is a team that will be fully embracing their youth movement. That means that this team’s young core will fully move into the limelight. And if there’s one player that will be expected to make a big jump this season, it’s Shaedon Sharpe. He’s absolutely a player who should be highlighted as a potential breakout candidate for the Blazers heading into the start of the season.
During his rookie season, Sharpe was viewed as a very raw talent who needed some time to find his footing in the league and to grow into his natural abilities and overall athleticism. We may be getting to that point this season. He’s flashed his potential in the past and with an expanded role, this could finally be the season where he makes a big jump in his progression.
Aside from Scoot Henderson, Sharpe may be the one young player on their roster that has the highest ceiling. If he begins to enter into that phase of his development, there’s a chance that the Blazers emerge as a big surprise this season.